The Physics of an Aaron Rodgers Pass

When it comes to sports, Wisconsin is all aboard with the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers recently threw an amazing throw that earned the Packers the game. This throw not only made fans go crazy, it inspired professors as well, more specifically Paul Lyman, a Physics Professor at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The newly opened Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex is where Lyman resides. Being known for his skills in modern physics, Quantum Mechanics, and Electric, Paul Lyman was recommended by staff at UWM to ABC 12 news, to be the guy who analyzes the pass thrown by Aaron Rodgers.

“It’s nothing too difficult; high school students can do it,” says Lyman, as he proceeded to explain how simple the analytics was. He was able to tell the height of the ball, how fast it was thrown, and the time in which it made it to the receiver who caught it.

On Dec. 17, a Media Milwaukee journalist visited with Lyman to understand exactly how he was able to analyze the miraculous pass by Rodgers. “Projectile Motion is the curve the ball takes due to gravity,” said Lyman.

Wanting to get a better understanding of exactly what projectile motion was, the reporter looked up the definition. According to online sources, “Projectile motion is a form of motion in which an object or particle (called a projectile) is thrown near the earth’s surface, and it moves along a curved path under the action of gravity only. The only force of significance that acts on the object is gravity, which acts downward to cause a downward acceleration.”

Lyman said that this is the theory scientist Isaac Newton from the 1700’s also used.

Lyman demonstrated an equation that took up the entire chalk board, but the ending results were that Aaron Rodgers threw the ball 71 feet in the air, which is equal to the ball going seven stories high, and about 56 miles per hour.

After taking so much time to come up with such interesting analysis, there was one question left to ask Lyman. “So who’s your favorite Packer?”

“I’m a Philadelphia native so I’ll have to go with the Eagles, then Packers second,” said Paul as he laughed. “Surprisingly, I know much more about the Packers than I do the Eagles now,” said Paul.